In this sue-happy world, it was only a matter of time before Linux became a target. A company has dared to declare a patent infringement against not one, but two Linux vendors.

IP Innovation and Technology Licensing Corporation are suing Red Hat and Novell for patent infringement in three similar patents including US Patent No. 5,072,412 for a "User Interface with Multiple Workspaces for Sharing Display System Objects" issued December 10, 1991. According to the plaintiffs, Red Hat and Novell are deliberately and wilfully infringing on the patents since they were previously notified of the infringement and continue to sell the Red Hat Linux system, the Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop, and the Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, according to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Marshall Division.

IP Innovation in Northbrook, Ill., and Technology Licensing are seeking an injunction from the court, damages, and "other relief that the court or a jury may deem just and proper," according to the lawsuit. IP Innovation is a subsidiary of The Acacia Technologies Group, a division of Acacia Research that develops, acquires, licenses, and enforces patented technologies. Based in Carson City, Nevada, Technology Licensing is a company that acquires and licenses intellectual property primarily in involving electronics for the television industry, according to its Web site.